Grateful Dead guitarist and co-founder Bob Weir has died aged 78, his family announced, leaving drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the last surviving founder
LOS ANGELES: Grateful Dead co-founder and guitarist Bob Weir has died at the age of 78.
His family announced the news in a statement on his personal website on Saturday.
Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July but had beaten the disease, ultimately succumbing to underlying lung issues, the statement said.
“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” his family wrote. “Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”
They added that his work built “a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them.”
Weir co-founded the seminal psychedelic jam band in San Francisco alongside Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann.
The Grateful Dead became a defining force of the 1960s counterculture, renowned for their improvisational live shows that were never performed the same way twice.
Their devoted fanbase, known as “Deadheads,” famously recorded and traded bootleg tapes of concerts, fostering a unique communal culture.
The band disbanded in 1995, a few months after the death of frontman Jerry Garcia.
Weir continued to perform for decades, most recently with the group Dead & Company.
His death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann, 79, as the last surviving founding member of the Grateful Dead.
Phil Lesh died in October 2024 at age 84, while Ron “Pigpen” McKernan died in 1973 at 27.
Weir was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Grateful Dead in 1994.
The band received Kennedy Center Honors in 2024 during the final year of President Joe Biden’s first term.
“As we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived,” his family’s statement concluded, quoting lyrics from songs he co-wrote.
